Pharmacia & Upjohn

Luca Piacenza

Umberto Breme

Nicoletta Crespi Perellino

Marinella Caruso

Lorena Fedeli

Andrea Pavesi

Giambattista Ventrella

The present invention related to microorganisms producing taxanes, such as paclitaxel or related taxanes, to the use of said microorganisms for the production of taxanes, and to the procedure for the isolation of said microorganisms from plants. In particular, the present invention relates to microorganisms of the Actinomycetes group producing taxanes as well as to the biologically pure cultures of a strain of the Actinomycetes group which produces taxanes. The microorganisms of Actinomycetes group are preferably belonging to the suprageneric groups of Streptomycetes, Actinoplanetes, Maduromycetes, Thermomonosporas or Nocardioforms, more preferably they are belonging to genus Streptomyces, Actinoplanes, Nocardiopsis, Micromonospora, Actinomadura or Kitasatosporia, still more preferably to the genus Kitasatosporia. A particularly preferred microorganism is Kitasatosporia sp. CECT 4991.

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San Vittore Olona, Italy

Luca Piacenza